Open House Party

Well I ended up surviving the 2.5 days of meetings this week. I can’t tell you how boring certain parts were with breakout sessions on vague topics and then the various group presentations that lead to multiple action items. There were so many times that the meeting just moved at a glacial pace for me but some of the others were really jazzed to talk about structure and plans and stakeholders and various other business things. But long days with dinner were really just too much for my introverted self. I was basically brain dead towards the end of the second day.

The good news is that the group generally all seem like nice people but we are about 10 months past when the layoffs were announced and there still doesn’t seem to be a clear plan. The real problem is I haven’t been able to get back the same level of passion I used to have. I feel like the guy from Office Space telling the consultants “Its not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care.” And, for me, that is just not a good way to be.

Last night was an open house at the new studio. It was their grand opening party even though they’ve been open for about six weeks. But it makes some sense because they probably needed some time to get some visibility. The place was actually packed and there were several new faces.

I had a lesson before the party and we were working on Fox Trot and Tango. Well it was mostly Fox Trot because OwnerGuy was a little busy at the start of the lesson and JoNY and I were struggling through certain parts. So he had a lot to fix when he showed up. We still have some issues with the pivot because it just doesn’t move as much as it should. We did finish up with the Tango right at the end and it is coming together a little better.

Anyway, but back to the party. They started with two group classes – one for those who had never danced before and the other for those with some experience. We ended up working on dips because you could get there with just a basic box or a swing step (we did it in both Rumba and Fox Trot). So OwnerGuy could focus more on the technique of the dip which was good because a dip is something that can go wrong really easily.

The party started with a few general dances and then they went into the infomercial part of the night where students did demos to convince the newcomers that you can actually learn to dance. The first couple was a wedding couple and they actually did an Argentine Tango as their first dance. I saw some nerves at the beginning but they worked through it and did a really great job. It was a rather long routine with a fair amount of choreography and it was fun to watch.

Then they ran through the Associate Bronze and Full Bronze explaining the levels and then bringing out a couple to demonstrate. The Full Bronze couple were actually going back to Bronze to pick up new dances and they were doing a West Coast Swing. Was it technically perfect? No. But they were smiling and having a good time throughout the whole thing and that just made it fun to watch.

I’ve said this before but it bears repeating. Dance is art and art is subjective. If I’m watching a bunch of really good pros, I’m going to be mesmerized by their skills but what really pulls me in are the ones you can get some kind of emotional connection with. OK, that sounds weird and I can’t really explain it well but I’ve also seen enough pro/am where the am is doing all the right stuff technically but they’ve got an obvious fake smile plastered on their face and they are doing what they are told to do but there is nothing of “them” in the dance. To be fair, I’ve seen lots of really good pro/am where the am is able to show a little personality and tell a bit of a story. But I’ll take the couple last night doing a not great west coast but looking like they are having a blast over a cold robotic and technically perfect performance. But that’s just me.

They did two Silver routines as well. Instead of introducing it as Associate and Full Silver, they called it Social Silver and then introduced the last one as someone who does competitions so it was considered the top rung. Both were OwnerGuy’s students and they are both fun to watch. The competition just meant some of the moves were flashier and showier.

I’m sitting at the table watching and this guy asks me if I’m doing anything and I had to say no. But, something kind of clicked last night watching everyone. Along with my experience of being so close to an old Showcase site earlier in the week, I’m really getting that urge to get out on the floor. They are doing another open house in October so I might have that opportunity.

Now it is Friday and a very long week is over. Next week we have the Work Daughter’s wedding to attend. It is on Saturday but we are going in on Thursday. I think we are planning on taking Friday to visit the city so nice they named it twice. DWall takes Manhattan?? Should be some nice stories anyway.